Protective headband

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to a protective garment, such as a protective headband, such as a protective headband that may reduce the risk of head injuries for football (soccer) players by reducing the impact of blows, falls as well as being hit by and heading to the ball.

The present disclosure relates to a protective garment, in particular a headband, such as a protective headband configured to reduce the risk of head injuries, e.g. in sports, such as soccer, handball, basketball, cycling or similar.

BACKGROUND

DE 202005002141 U1 discloses a ring-shaped shock absorbing device to be worn on the head, filled with absorptive substance and fitted with inner partitions. A fluid and various design features provide an energy-absorbing and shock-absorbing effect to protect the skull and brain.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to a gel-pack for a protective garment and a protective garment comprising a gel pack. The protective garment may be a protective headband, a knee pad, an elbow pad, hip pad(s), etc. Furthermore, the gel-pack may be utilized as an insert, such as an insert for a helmet.

In particular, the present disclosure relates to a protective headband, such as a protective headband that may reduce the risk of head injuries for players in sports, such as football (soccer), handball, basketball or similar, by reducing the impact of blows, falls as well as being hit by and heading to the ball.

The head band may be made in a number of designs, for different player types and/or different age groups.

The protective garment may comprise an inner layer. The inner layer may be a micro-porous fabric, such as a breathable fabric. For example, to facilitate transportation of sweat and/or heat away from the head of the user wearing the headband.

The protective garment, may comprise a core of a liquid, e.g. a gel. The liquid may be substantially incompressible. The liquid may be capsuled in a foil, such as a plastic foil. The liquid, such as the capsuled liquid, may be padded with foam, e.g. to provide a more effective shock absorption. The liquid and the foil encapsulating the liquid may be denoted a gel-pack. The gel-pack may comprise the liquid.

The gel-pack comprises the liquid and a foil comprising a first foil sheet and a second foil sheet. The liquid may be enclosed by the first foil sheet and the second foil sheet being bonded together along an outer rim.

The liquid has a viscosity. The viscosity of the liquid may be substantially unchanged following an impact. For example, the viscosity of the liquid after an impact may be substantially the same as prior to the impact. The viscosity of the liquid may change during the impact, and optionally immediately after an impact. However, after a relaxation time after an impact, the viscosity of the liquid may be substantially the same as prior to the impact. The liquid may be a generally Newtonian fluid, such as water. Alternatively, the liquid may be a shear thinning fluid.

The liquid may be kept in place, such as to facilitate equal protection in all areas of the band, e.g. through a pattern in the plastic foil. For example, the foil may be welded by one or more welds in a pattern. The one or more welds may be separated from the outer foil rim. The one or more welds may be extending along one or more weld paths, e.g. a first weld may be extending along a first weld path and/or a second weld may be extending along a second weld path. The one or more welds may comprise one or more weld spots, e.g. a third weld may be a third weld spot and/or a fourth weld may be a fourth weld spot. For example, the first foil sheet and the second foil sheet may be bonded together at one or more spots and/or paths, e.g. weld spots and/or weld paths, such as a plurality of spots and/or paths, such as more than 5 spots and/or paths, such as more than 10 spots and/or paths. The bonding may be designed to allow the liquid to move from one compartment of the pattern to another to allow the liquid to disperse away from the impact area, thereby maximizing the shock absorption effect. At the same time, the bonding may be designed to maintain the liquid throughout the gel-pack, e.g. to prevent the liquid from being displaced to only be present in the lower most parts of the gel-pack.

The gel-pack may be removable from the protective garment. For example, the protective garment may comprise an opening. The opening may facilitate changing of the gel-pack comprising the liquid.

The gel-pack may be configured to burst if the impact is sufficiently hard, e.g. to improve the shock absorption effect.

The gel-pack may comprise a plurality of compartments, e.g. including a first compartment and a second compartment. The plurality of compartments may include a third compartment and/or a fourth compartment. The plurality of compartments may be designed to protect different locations. For example, the first compartment may be a first temple compartment, e.g. configured to be positioned on a first temple part e.g. to protect a first temple against impact. The second compartment may be a second temple compartment configured to be positioned on a second temple part, e.g. to protect a second temple against impact. The third compartment may be a rear compartment, e.g. configured to be positioned on a rear part, e.g. to protect the back of the head. The fourth compartment may be a front compartment, e.g. configured to be positioned on a front part, e.g. to protect the fore head against impact.

The plurality of compartments may be connected, i.e. the liquid may be able to flow from one compartment to another. Alternatively, the plurality of compartments may be disconnected, i.e. liquid in one compartment may not be able to flow to another compartment.

The protective garment may comprise a foam layer. The foam layer may be provided on top of the gel-pack. The foam layer may be a high-density foam. The foam layer may be provided to distribute external pressure over an area of the underlying gel-pack.

The protective garment may comprise a surface layer. The surface layer may be provided on top of the foam layer and/or gel-pack. The surface layer may be provided to cover also the inner layer, e.g. such that the surface layer extends on an inside and outside of the protective garment. The surface layer may be provided with a print.

The protective garment may be provided with a material, such as silicone, to provide for increased friction, e.g. to provide for an enhanced grip, such as to allow for an enhanced control of a ball during heading, e.g. when the protective garment is a headband being used in a soccer game. The material (or another material facilitating increased friction) may be provided on an inside of the protective garment, such as to facilitate better fit of the protective garment to the user.

The headband, such as the foil and/or the foam may be designed to protect the temple and/or the back of the head. For example, temple parts of the headband may be shaped to extend to a position below a lower part of a rear part and a front part. The headband may further be shaped to be fitted above the ear of the user, e.g. without covering the ear of the user.

The headband may be designed to allow for unimpaired heading to a ball, e.g. while still providing some protection against impact. For example, the headband, such as the foil and/or the foam may be provided, such that the liquid is not provided to the forehead. For example, the liquid may be provided on less than 90%, such as less than 80%, such as less than 70% of the circumference of the head. Alternatively, the headband may be provided with the liquid being provided substantially around the entire circumference of the head.

The headband may be designed to improve heading ability, e.g. by increasing friction between the forehead (e.g. front of headband) and the ball, e.g. allowing players to better steer the direction of the ball when heading. For example, the headband may comprise an outer surface, e.g. an outer surface of the front of the headband, providing for increased friction. For example, the outer surface, such as the outer surface of the front of the headband, may be provided with a silicone.

The outer surface of the headband may be made to be printed on. For example, sponsors, club name, player number, name, etc. may be printed on the outer surface of the headband.

The headband may form a closed ring. For example, the headband may be made with no closure mechanism. Alternatively, the headband may be made with a closure mechanism, such as Velcro.

An inside surface of the headband, such as the surface of the headband configured to contact the head of the user, may be provided with silicone, e.g. to facilitate that the headband stays in place on the head of the user, e.g. to enable the headband to be made in one piece, e.g. by enabling that the headband will stay in place with no further mechanism.

The headband may be fitted with a GPS module, such as to enable GPS tracking of the headband, such as to enable GPS tracking of the user wearing the headband. GPS tracking may be used to register a player's movement on the playing field.

The headband may comprise a heart rate monitoring module, e.g. configured to register heart rate of the user, e.g. via blood vessels near the temple.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Embodiments of the disclosure will be described in more detail in the following with regard to the accompanying figures. The figures show one way of implementing the present invention and are not to be construed as being limiting to other possible embodiments falling within the scope of the attached claim set.

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a user wearing an exemplary protective garment,

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates an exemplary foil for encapsulating a liquid,

FIGS. 3-9 schematically illustrates layers of an exemplary protective garment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various exemplary embodiments and details are described hereinafter, with reference to the figures when relevant. It should be noted that the figures may or may not be drawn to scale and that elements of similar structures or functions are represented by like reference numerals throughout the figures. It should also be noted that the figures are only intended to facilitate the description of the embodiments. They are not intended as an exhaustive description of the invention or as a limitation on the scope of the invention. In addition, an illustrated embodiment needs not have all the aspects or advantages shown. An aspect or an advantage described in conjunction with a particular embodiment is not necessarily limited to that embodiment and can be practiced in any other embodiments even if not so illustrated, or if not so explicitly described.

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a user 2 wearing an exemplary protective garment in the form of a headband 10. The headband comprises a front part 12, and a rear part 16. The headband comprises a first temple part 14. The headband comprises a second temple part (not visible) opposite the first temple part 14.

The front part 12 is configured to protect the forehead of the user 2 against impact. The rear part 16 is configured to protect the back of the head of the user 2. The temple parts, such as the first temple part 14 and the second temple part are configured to protect the temples of the user 2.

The temple parts, such as the first temple part 14 and the second temple part, are shaped to extend to a position below a lower part of the rear part 16 and the front part 12. The headband is further shaped to be fitted above the ear of the user 2, e.g. without covering the ear of the user 2.

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates an exemplary foil 20 for encapsulating a liquid. For example, the foil 20 may together with the liquid, e.g. gel, form a gel-pack.

The foil 20 may comprise two layers, such as a first foil sheet and a second foil sheet, e.g. being bonded, such as welded, such as heat welded, together, e.g. along the rim 21. Thereby, the foil may provide an enclosure for encapsulating the liquid. An opening 28 may be provided, e.g. initially be provided, such as to allow injection of the liquid through the opening 28. The opening 28 may be sealed, e.g. by welding, such as heat welding, after injection of the liquid through the opening 28.

The foil 20 may comprise a plurality of weld spots 30. The weld spots 30 may be spots throughout the foil where the two layers are bonded together, such as to form a certain pattern of the enclosure, e.g. to limit the flow of the liquid, e.g. such that liquid is substantially evenly dispersed throughout the enclosure, in contrary to the liquid being displaced to the bottom of the enclosure due to gravity. The welded spots 30 may be provided to allow the liquid to move throughout the compartment(s), such as to allow the liquid to disperse away from the impact area, thereby maximizing the shock absorption effect. The weld spots 30 may, in an alternative embodiment, be provided as a plurality of weld paths, e.g. connecting two or more of the illustrated weld spots 30.

The foil 20 may be divided into a plurality of compartments, e.g. a first temple compartment 24 and a second temple compartment 26, and a rear compartment 22. In the illustrated example, the plurality of compartments is connected, i.e. the liquid is able to flow from one compartment to another. However, in alternative examples, the plurality of compartments may be disconnected, such that liquid in one compartment is not able to flow to another compartment. Although not shown, the foil may comprise a front compartment.

The first temple compartment 24 may be configured to be positioned on a temple part, such as the first temple part 14 of the headband 10 (FIG. 1), e.g. to protect a temple against impact. The second temple compartment 26 may be configured to be positioned on another temple part, such as the second temple part of the headband 10 (FIG. 1), e.g. to protect the opposite temple against impact. The rear compartment 22 may be configured to be positioned on the rear part 16 of the headband 10 (FIG. 1), e.g. to protect the back of the head of the user against impact.

FIGS. 3-9 schematically illustrates layers of an exemplary protective garment in the form of a headband 10, such as the headband 10 as shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows an inner layer 40 of the headband. The inner layer 40 may be a micro-porous fabric, such as a breathable fabric, such as to facilitate transportation of sweat and/or heat away from the head of the user wearing the headband.

FIG. 4 shows the inner layer 40 with a gel-pack 42 comprising a liquid. The gel-pack may comprise a foil (such as the foil 20 as described in relation to FIG. 2) encapsulating a liquid. The gel-pack 42 is positioned, such as to protect the temples and back of the head of the user from impacts. As shown in the illustrated example, the gel-pack 42 is positioned to not cover the forehead of the user. This may provide for the ability of the user to head to a ball, e.g. if playing soccer. In another example (e.g. if the ability to head to a ball is not needed), the gel-pack 42 may be positioned to protect also the forehead of the user.

FIG. 5 shows a foam layer 44 being provided on top of the gel-pack 42 as shown in FIG. 4. The foam layer 44 may be a high-density foam. The foam layer 44 may be provided to distribute external pressure over an area of the underlying gel-pack 42.

FIG. 6 shows a frontal layer 46 being provided on the front, e.g. above the forehead of the user when wearing the headband. The frontal layer 46 may be a foam layer, such as a microporous foam, such as to facilitate transportation of sweat and/or heat away from the head of the user wearing the headband.

FIG. 7 shows a surface layer 48 being provided on top of the foam layers 44; 46, and gel-pack 42. The surface layer 48 may be provided to cover also the inner layer 40, e.g. such that the surface layer 48 extends on the inside and the outside of the headband.

FIG. 8 shows an exemplary print being provided on the surface layer 48.

FIG. 9 shows the headband being provided with a material 50, such as silicone, to provide for an enhanced grip, such as to allow for an enhanced control of the ball during heading, e.g. when being used in a soccer game. The material 50 may be provided to the front part of the head band, such as the part of the headband being provided to the forehead of the user. The material 50 may be provided in a pattern, such as in small dots, as shown, and/or in a pattern in line with a sponsor logo or similar.

The material 50 (or another material facilitating increased friction) may also be provided on the inside of the headband, such as to facilitate better fit of the headband to the head of the user.

The invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment. However, the scope of the invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment, and alterations and modifications can be carried out without deviating from the scope of the invention.

Throughout the disclosure, the use of the terms “first”, “second”, “third”, “fourth”, “primary”, “secondary”, “tertiary” etc. does not imply any particular order or importance but are included to identify individual elements. Furthermore, the labelling of a first element does not imply the presence of a second element and vice versa. 

1-6. (canceled)
 7. An impact-absorbing, protective headband designed to protect at least a temple of a user wearing the protective headband, the protective headband further comprising an inner layer, a gel-pack, and a foam layer being provided on top of the gel-pack, the gel-pack comprising a liquid, a first foil sheet and a second foil sheet, the liquid being enclosed by the first foil sheet and the second foil sheet, the first foil sheet and the second foil sheet being bonded along an outer foil rim, wherein the first foil sheet and the second foil sheet being bonded together at one or more welds separated from the outer foil rim.
 8. Protective headband according to claim 7, wherein the one or more welds comprises one or more weld spots.
 9. Protective headband according to any of claim 7, wherein the one or more welds are extending along one or more weld paths.
 10. Protective headband according to claim 7, wherein the liquid has a viscosity, wherein the viscosity of the liquid after an impact is substantially the same as prior to the impact.
 11. Protective headband according to claim 7, wherein the liquid is a generally Newtonian fluid.
 12. Protective headband according to claim 7, wherein the liquid is a shear thinning fluid. 